'X' marks the spot

Collecting data and statistics can be extremely useful for determining the quality and reach of services, but being able to synthesize those raw numbers into useful information can be quite difficult. This is particularly true in the service sector, where data analysis costs can be prohibitive.

Investing in Children has developed a mapping project with the latest high-tech software that produces colourful, easy to understand maps that graphically display important statistical information about the people of London and services available to them.

The mapping project was originally a component of Investing in Children's 1999 Ontario Early Years demonstration project, to be used as a planning piece. Since those first tentative steps, the potential in mapping has grown exponentially. "One of the best things about the maps is that they graphically confirm what we already know about London," says Heather Cousins, Investing in Children's resident "cartographer".

The maps are produced using a powerful software application called MapInfo. Utilizing a database and detailed political or topographic maps, the software can plot out and display a number of different types of data onto thematic maps. The software allows for an almost unlimited number of maps to be generated, limited only by imagination and available data.

Thematic maps are primarily created with two different data sets: pie charts and ranged values. The pie chart maps show percentages within a certain area, such as education levels or employment in specific neighbourhoods (click on the top graphics for a sample pie chart map). The ranged maps take one specific set of data, such as average household income and colour each neighbourhood by its value (click on the bottom graphic for a sample ranged map).

One current use of the maps is to determine where the users of the three OEYC London campus' live, and to see if any neighbourhoods are being overlooked. Each parent or caregiver at the centre is asked for their postal code at sign in; those codes are then entered into the database, producing a map showing where the users came from within each neighbourhood.

By layering different sets of data on top of each other, even more conclusions can be drawn. Combining statistics for education level, age composition of children, and the postal codes of the OEYC London users allows the coordinators to see if their services are reaching their intended user base.

If an underserviced neighbourhood is indicated, further maps, based on cultural background, can identify if perhaps there are cultural or language barriers preventing OEYC London's message from reaching parents.

Currently, Investing in Children is using the 1996 census data; the 2001 Census data, now available from Stats Canada, will be added into the database in the coming months. This will have a two-fold benefit, allowing the maps to reflect the latest demographic data, and to demonstrate the changes that London's neighbourhoods have gone through in the past five years. Many new maps will be developed when the new statistics are analyzed, such as measuring changes in household income and age composition of children in each neighbourhood.

The project is unique in bringing mapping to the service sector, an area where the potential of these tools had not previously been well understood. Investing in Children has worked with several different organizations, including St. Joseph's Health Care and the Children's Aid Society to produce customized maps, providing different service providers with specific information to help them improve their outreach efforts.

Mapping will continue to become an important resource in the service sector, as the quantity of the maps and the diversity of their application increase. In addition to the extensive mapping already done for London, some maps for Middlesex County are also available.

Investing in Children currently has more than 40 different maps available, mapping by factors such as family income by neighbourhood and number of children by age range. Overall city or specific neighbourhood versions are available for each map. For a complete list of available maps, click here. http://www.investinginchildren.on.ca/maps.html

For more information about MapInfo, visit their website.